University of Bristol, School of Physiology Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
UCL, Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, London, WC1N 3AR, UK.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 19;14(1):6641. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56811-x.
Cerebellar computations are necessary for fine behavioural control and may rely on internal models for estimation of behaviourally relevant states. Here, we propose that the central cerebellar function is to estimate how states interact with each other, and to use these estimates to coordinates extra-cerebellar neuronal dynamics underpinning a range of interconnected behaviours. To support this claim, we describe a cerebellar model for state estimation that includes state interactions, and link this model with the neuronal architecture and dynamics observed empirically. This is formalised using the free energy principle, which provides a dual perspective on a system in terms of both the dynamics of its physical-in this case neuronal-states, and the inferential process they entail. As a demonstration of this proposal, we simulate cerebellar-dependent synchronisation of whisking and respiration, which are known to be tightly coupled in rodents, as well as limb and tail coordination during locomotion. In summary, we propose that the ubiquitous involvement of the cerebellum in behaviour arises from its central role in precisely coupling behavioural domains.
小脑计算对于精细的行为控制是必要的,并且可能依赖于内部模型来估计与行为相关的状态。在这里,我们提出小脑的核心功能是估计状态之间是如何相互作用的,并利用这些估计来协调支持一系列相互关联行为的额外小脑神经元动力学。为了支持这一说法,我们描述了一个用于状态估计的小脑模型,该模型包括状态相互作用,并将该模型与经验上观察到的神经元结构和动力学联系起来。这是使用自由能原理来形式化的,该原理从其物理状态的动力学及其所涉及的推理过程两个方面提供了对系统的双重视角。作为这一建议的一个演示,我们模拟了已知在啮齿动物中紧密耦合的胡须和呼吸的小脑依赖性同步,以及运动过程中肢体和尾巴的协调。总之,我们提出,小脑在行为中的普遍参与是由其在精确耦合行为域中的核心作用所引起的。